Afghanistan

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to suggestions that the war in Afghanistan is unwinnable.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is conducting counterinsurgency operations in Afghanistan in support of the democratically elected Government of Afghanistan as they seek to build capacity and attempt to dismantle the insurgency through a politically led approach.
	ISAF operations are making a big difference on the ground. However, Afghanistan's problems cannot be solved by military means alone.

Africa: Health and AIDS

Baroness Northover: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the Department for International Development withdrew its inter-country support programme on health and AIDS in Southern Africa.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government who has been affected by the withdrawal of the Department for International Development's inter-country support programme on health and AIDS in Southern Africa.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they have given to programmes which were expecting funding in the short and long term through the Department for International Development's recently withdrawn inter-country support programme on health and AIDS in Southern Africa.

Lord Tunnicliffe: The Department for International Development (DfID) has not withdrawn any funding for the Inter-Country Support Programme on Health and AIDS in Southern Africa (ICS) as the programme was not approved.
	Following a mid-term review of DfID's regional programme in Southern Africa it was decided in October 2008 that the DfID-Southern Africa (DfID-SA) office should rebalance its commitments. It was agreed that DfID would not proceed with the design of ICS. Instead it will focus its work on other health and AIDS programmes; namely, a £12.5 million new programme to improve access to quality essential medicines in countries; and delivering on an existing £19 million programme providing behaviour change communication programmes.
	The ICS programme was being designed to provide support to three key partners, the regional teams of UNAIDS and WHO and a challenge fund for regional civil society organisations (CSOs).
	DfID remains very committed to UNAIDS and WHO. We recently agreed new institutional strategies for 2008-11 with both organisations. DfID will provide up to £34.8 million core funding to UNAIDS and £44 million core funding to WHO over this period. We rely on their management systems to ensure they allocate funds to regional and country programmes to deliver on their strategic objectives.
	DfID has historic funding relationships with two CSOs: the Anglican Church of Southern Africa (ACSA) and the Health Economics and HIV/AIDS Research Division (HEARD) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. DfID has taken steps to ensure the sustainability of these organisations, providing short-term funding and facilitating discussions to secure funding from other donors. DfID has also given advice and is providing technical assistance to ACSA on resource mobilisation. DfID has been able to provide some £1 million support to ARASA (AIDS and RIGHTS Alliance of Southern Africa) through another donor.

Africa: Health and AIDS

Baroness Northover: To ask Her Majesty's Government what will be the effect of the Department for International Development's decision to end its inter-country support programme on health and AIDS in Southern Africa on the regional-level approach to health and HIV/AIDS.

Baroness Northover: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their decision to cut the Department for International Development's inter-country support programme on health and AIDS in Southern Africa represents a change in policy away from the championing of global health and HIV/AIDS architecture.

Lord Tunnicliffe: The Department for International Development (DfID) has not withdrawn any funding for the Inter-Country Support Programme on Health and AIDS in Southern Africa (ICS). This programme was not approved.
	DfID remains seized of the importance of tackling AIDS in the hyper-endemic Southern Africa region and will remain a significant donor for HIV and AIDS and Health in the Southern Africa region, spending up to £61 million in the current financial year. It is expected that this level of spend will continue during 2010-11 and may increase the following year.
	There is no change in DfID's policy. DfID remains committed to championing the global health and HIV/AIDS architecture including within the Southern Africa region. DfID has forged an excellent working relationship with others donors, national governments and regional institutions within Southern Africa. We remain active partners in the multi-donor group convened by the UNAIDS regional team, which is collectively monitoring whether there is any impact on the regional level approach to health and AIDS as a result of this and other donor decisions.

Armed Forces: Aircraft

Lord Astor of Hever: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the A400M requires civil certification.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The original proposals submitted by industry indicated cost benefits to the UK and other nations from adoption of the commercial approach to procurement of this aircraft. This approach maximised the use of both civil practice and certification to deliver cost savings to the customers. Following detailed analysis by all nations involved, the contract to design and develop the A400M assumed that the bulk of the aircraft would be certified by the civil authorities with the nations taking responsibility only for the certification of the military aspects.

Avian Flu

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what precautions they have taken concerning the possibility of avian flu entering the United Kingdom; how often the arrangements are reviewed; and how they co-ordinate their action with other countries.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The following measures are in place to reduce the likelihood of avian flu entering the United Kingdom and to limit its economic and social impact.
	We keep the level of threat under constant review. This is done through monitoring the international reports of disease incidence worldwide and assessing whether there is a change in threat for the UK. These assessments are published on the Defra website and stakeholder organisations are advised when a new assessment is published. Our current assessment is that the UK is at a low but constant risk of the virus being introduced.
	There are a number of pathways through which the virus might be introduced. Trade in domestic poultry, other captive birds and poultry products is regulated. Regulation is based on international veterinary standards and certification designed to reduce the likelihood of the virus being transmitted via legal trade routes. The UK's Border Agency is responsible for undertaking anti-smuggling controls on products of animal origin (including avian products such as poultry meat and eggs) from third countries. These controls are risk-based, taking into account information from Defra on the changing global animal health situation.
	Speedy detection of the virus in the UK and then swift action to contain and eradicate it is essential to limiting its impact. Keepers of domestic poultry and other kept birds practicing good biosecurity, maintaining vigilance and reporting suspicion of disease promptly to their vet is key. In addition, there is an official surveillance programme undertaken in all European member states to help detect the virus, including less virulent strains. In wild birds it is used to help detect a change in risk for domestic poultry and other kept birds allowing controls to be triggered that help prevent disease spread (eg housing of birds).
	We have well developed contingency plans for dealing with outbreaks. These have been activated eight times since April 2006. In addition, we have undertaken exercises with stakeholder partners to test out different scenarios. No two incidents are the same and after each one there is a lessons learnt exercise the conclusions of which are published on the Defra website.
	In addition, vets from all the Governments of the EU meet at least once per month to discuss and adopt laws on animal health controls and meet more frequently if there is a major outbreak. The UK also attends OIE (the world animal health organisation) forums and provides funds for developing countries to help control disease and limit its spread worldwide.

Belarus: Religious Groups

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are still receiving reports of restrictions placed on church groups and on the Roma minority in Belarus; and whether they will make representations to the government of Belarus regarding freedom of religion, with particular reference to the New Life Church in Minsk.

Lord Malloch-Brown: Our embassy in Minsk constantly monitors all human rights issues, including those related to religious freedoms and minority issues. Since a report concerning the treatment of the pastor of the New Life Church in May 2008, we have not received any further reports about the harassment of religious groups in Belarus, though we remain concerned about the human rights situation there. Our ambassador recently raised this issue with other EU heads of mission and expressed his concern. Our embassy in Minsk plans to lobby the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the near future.

BNFL: Sale of Assets

Lord Astor of Hever: To ask Her Majesty's Government who decided not to disclose the terms on which British Nuclear Fuels Ltd agreed on 17 December 2008 to sell its one-third share in the management company of the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston, to Jacobs Engineering Group of Pasadena, California.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what considerations led to their decision not to disclose the terms on which British Nuclear Fuels Ltd agreed on 17 December 2008 to sell its one-third share in the management company of the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston, to Jacobs Engineering Group of Pasadena, California.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any independent professional advice was taken as to the agreement by which British Nuclear Fuels Ltd sold its one-third share in the management company of the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston, to Jacobs Engineering Group of Pasadena, California; and, if so, by whom such advice was provided.

Baroness Vadera: The decision on the form of the announcement was taken by the Board of BNFL, having consulted with the shareholder executive and the MoD.
	As is common, with transactions of this nature, it was a term of the Jacobs proposal that the price and other commercially sensitive terms remained confidential. The Jacobs proposal was materially superior to the other proposal received.
	The board of BNFL was advised in relation to the disposal by NM Rothschild and Freshfields.

British Coal Compensation

Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total expenditure incurred to date in respect of the British Coal vibration white finger litigation, broken down between payments made to (a) Capita and its predecessors; (b) medical service providers; (c) all other contractors; (d) the Solicitors' Co-ordinating Group; (e) individual claimants' solicitors; (f) the Union of Democratic Mineworkers and its claims handling company, Vendside Limited; and (g) defendants' solicitors and counsel; and what amount of compensation has been paid to the claimants.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The total expenditure under the vibration white finger scheme is broken down as requested above. These costs are actuals as at 31 January 2009:
	(a) capita: £490 million (this is a total figure and cannot be broken down by scheme); (b) medical services: £35 million;(c) all other contractors: £106 million (this includes records management, consultants, technical costs and medical records collection);(d) Solicitors Co-ordinating Group: These costs are not recorded separately, they are shown as part of the claimants' solicitors costs (see e);(e) claimants' solicitors costs: £187 million (includes Solicitors Co-ordinating Group and the UDM costs); (f) UDM and Vendside Limited: These figures are not recorded separately and are shown as part of the claimants' solicitors costs (see e);(g) defendants' solicitors costs and counsel: £47 million (this is a total figure and cannot be broken down by scheme); and(h) compensation paid (including CRU*): £1.8 billion
	* CRU: Compensation Recovery Unit—certificate from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), which is a legal requirement to ensure that a claimant is not compensated twice for the same injury, once by the relevant state benefit from the DWP and once by the current coal health scheme run by this department.

British Coal Compensation

Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total expenditure incurred to date in respect of the British Coal respiratory disease litigation, broken down between payments made to (a) Capita and its predecessors; (b) medical service providers; (c) all other contractors; (d) the Solicitors' Co-ordinating Group; (e) individual claimants' solicitors; (f) the Union of Democratic Mineworkers and its claims handling company, Vendside Limited; and (g) defendants' solicitors and counsel; and what amount of compensation has been paid to the claimants.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The total expenditure under the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is broken down as requested above. These costs are actuals as at 31 January 2009:
	(a) capita: £490 million (this is a total figure and cannot be broken down by scheme);(b) medical services: £405 million;(c) all other contractors: £106 million (this includes records management, consultants, technical costs and medical records collection);(d) Solicitors Co-ordinating Group: these costs are not recorded separately and are shown as part of the claimants' solicitors costs (see e);(e) claimants' solicitors costs: £l billion;f) UDM and Vendside Limited: These costs are not recorded separately and are shown as part of the claimants' solicitors costs (see e);g) defendants' solicitors costs and counsel: £47 million (this is a total figure and cannot be broken down by scheme); andh) compensation paid (including CRU*): £2.3 billion.
	* CRU: Compensation Recovery Unit—certificate from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), which is a legal requirement to ensure that a claimant is not compensated twice for the same injury, once by the relevant state benefit from the DWP and once by the current coal health scheme run by this department.

British Coal Compensation

Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the projected date by which all claims under the British Coal respiratory disease litigation will have been settled and the scheme wound up; and what is the estimated cost that will have been incurred, broken down between (a) Capita and all other contractors; (b) the claimants' legal costs; (c) the defendants' legal costs; (d) the internal costs of the Department of Energy and Climate Change and its predecessors; and (e) compensation which remains to be paid to the claimants.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) scheme is due to be substantially completed on 30 November 2009. We expect around 2,000 claims still to be in process at that point with offers made but going through remaining stages. We expect these to reach settlement during 2010. These are estimated costs for COPD as at 31 October 2008:
	(a) Capita and all other contractors: c£677 million (this is a total figure and cannot be broken down by scheme. Includes claim handling costs, consultants, records managements, medical records collection and technical costs but excludes legal fees). Medical costs (COPD Only): c£406 million;(b) claimants' legal costs: c£1,047 million;(c) defendant's legal costs: c£52 million (this is a total figure and cannot be broken down by scheme);(d) department's internal costs: information not available (these costs are not included as part of our forecasting exercises); and (e) compensation which remains to be paid to the claimants: c£30 million (including CRU*).
	* CRU: Compensation Recovery Unit—certificate from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), which is a legal requirement to ensure that a claimant is not compensated twice for the same injury, once by the relevant state benefit from the DWP and once by the current coal health scheme run by this department.

British Coal Compensation

Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the projected date by which all claims under the British Coal vibration white finger litigation will have been settled and the scheme wound up; and what is the estimated cost that will have been incurred, broken down between (a) Capita and all other contractors; (b) the claimants' legal costs; (c) the defendants' legal costs; (d) the internal costs of the Department of Energy and Climate Change and its predecessors; and (e) compensation which remains to be paid to the claimants.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The vibration white finger (VWF) scheme is due to be substantially completed on 1 May 2009 by which time we expect just some 400 claims will remain to be settled. These are estimated costs for VWF as at 31 October 2008:
	(a) Capita and all other contractors: c£677 million (this is a total figure and cannot be broken down by scheme and includes claim handling costs, consultants, records management, medical records collection and technical costs but exclude legal fees). Medical costs (VWF only): c£35 million;(b) claimants' legal costs: c£192 million;(c) defendant's legal costs: c£52 million (this is a total figure and cannot be broken down by scheme); (d) department's internal costs: information not available (these costs are not included as part of our forecasting exercises); and (e) compensation which remains to be paid to the claimants: c£11 million (including CRU*).
	* CRU: Compensation Recovery Unit—certificate from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), which is a legal requirement to ensure that a claimant is not compensated twice for the same injury, once by the relevant state benefit from the DWP and once by the current coal health scheme run by this department.

British Coal Compensation

Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the estimated staffing, administrative and related costs incurred by the Department of Energy and Climate Change and its predecessors including the Department for Trade and Industry, in respect of (a) the British coal vibration white finger litigation; and (b) the British coal respiratory disease litigation.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The department's staffing, administrative and related costs cannot be broken down by scheme. However, the total of these costs for the coal health compensation schemes as at 31 January 2009 is £643.81 million. This includes the costs of the claims handling, medical testing, records management and external legal advice.

Civil Service: Pay

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether those elements of civil servants' pay and pensions which are inflation-proof are also deflation-proof.

Lord Patel of Bradford: There are no elements of Civil Service pay which are inflation-proof. On civil servants' pensions, I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave to Parliamentary Questions HL918 and HL1108.

Civil Service: Severance Scheme

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what would be the lump sum calculation under the Civil Service compulsory early severance scheme for a person aged 50 with 15 years' service; whether such arrangements are affordable; and whether they will amend them to achieve parity with private sector arrangements.

Lord Patel of Bradford: Payments may be made on the termination of the employment of civil servants in the circumstances outlined in the Civil Service Management Code. The Civil Service Compensation Scheme, a statutory scheme made under the Superannuation Act 1972, sets out the corresponding tariffs to be applied. The rules of the scheme can be found on the Civil Service Pensions website at www.civilservice-pensions.gov.uk The compulsory terms are the most generous and are applied in cases of redundancy; the code sets out the other circumstances when departments may choose to use these terms. Departments are responsible for meeting the full costs of early departures (including additional pension costs) from their administration budgets.
	The present terms have been in place since 1987 and are currently under review. The Superannuation Act 1972 requires the Government to consult with the Civil Service trades unions before introducing changes to the terms of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme.
	A copy of the rules of the scheme have been placed in the Library.

Climate Change

Baroness Northover: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made on the financing mechanisms for the United Nations climate change adaptation fund.

Lord Tunnicliffe: The Adaptation Fund was set up in 2007 under the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. At its inception it was agreed that it would be funded by a 2 per cent levy on proceeds from the sale of certified emissions reductions (CERs) issued under the protocol's clean development mechanism.
	The UK Government are working with others on the Adaptation Fund board to establish sound operational procedures for the Adaptation Fund. These include processes to convert CERs into cash resources. The fund is due to commence operation in 2009.

Climate Change

Lord Leach of Fairford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent research developments in physics relating to the influence of the sun on cloud formation and global temperatures; and how these will inform their policy on climate change.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: While changes in solar output may have contributed to some of the observed warming during the early 20th century, there is scientific consensus that they cannot explain the recent strong rise in global average temperature.
	The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) fund a significant amount of research at the Met Office Hadley Centre on the attribution of climate change, as part of the wider Integrated Climate Programme. Their research confirms that recent climate change cannot be attributed to solar variations. Also, there is no evidence that cosmic ray variations have played any role in causing recent warming, through their effect on cloud cover.
	Both DECC and Defra specialists maintain strong links with the scientific community and follow developments relevant to climate change closely to ensure that policy is based on the best available science.

Climate Change: Greenhouse Gases

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government how, if regulation 46(2)(a) of the Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/261) prevents an authorised person entering premises used wholly or mainly for residential purposes, it will be possible under regulation 54(1) to impose a fixed penalty in relation to equipment kept on premises used only as a private dwelling house.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Regulation 46(2)(a) does not prevent an authorised person from entering premises used wholly or mainly for residential purposes, provided the occupier agrees that he may enter. This may provide the authorised person with evidence that gives him reason to believe that an offence has been committed and a basis to issue a fixed penalty notice. An authorised person may also receive information from third parties that gives him reason to believe that an offence has been committed.
	Extensive enforcement powers are available and heavy financial penalties on conviction apply to those responsible for commercial equipment using fluorinated gases. A less onerous and intrusive approach has been adopted for those responsible for domestic equipment because much of the equipment is hermetically sealed and contains small quantities of gas; most emissions are from commercial uses.

Defra: Staff

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 14 November 2008 (WA 151—52), why, following the voluntary early retirement and severance schemes in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in 2007—08, the department recruited 16.2 per cent of the number who left from grade AA, 25.2 per cent of those from AO, 25.4 per cent from EO, 35.6 per cent from HEO, 22.7 per cent from SEO, 33.9 per cent from G7 and 18.8 per cent from G6.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: As part of delivering efficiency targets which were applied across Whitehall, Defra offered a small proportion of staff the option of taking voluntary early retirement and severance. Defra has a broad agenda, from dealing with recycling and waste to protecting the natural environment. Having the right number of people, with the right skills, as well as a continual flow of new thinking, is essential to deliver this challenging and diverse remit.
	In offering the scheme, our aim was to reduce our overall headcount, but also to enable us to have the capacity to restock with new skills that we would need for the future.
	Since the severance scheme closed, further staff have also left Defra as part of normal turnover. We have also needed to replace these staff and our recruitment has followed a careful analysis of the staff numbers and skills we need over the next two to three years. Even with the current recruitment, our overall staffing number will still be below our target numbers following VER/VES.

Energy: Cooking Oils

The Earl of Selborne: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of electricity is generated from used cooking oils.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: During the period for which this information is readily available (April 2008 to November 2008), a total of 309MWh of electricity was generated from waste vegetable or recycled cooking oil. Expressed as a percentage, this is equal to 0.0034 per cent of all renewable electricity and approximately 0.00017 per cent of total UK electricity generated during the same period.

Energy: Cooking Oils

The Earl of Selborne: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they propose to take to encourage the increased production of electricity from used cooking oils.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Electricity produced from used cooking oils is eligible for support under the renewables obligation. Since it is categorised as biomass, from 1 April 2009 the level of this support will be increased from one renewables obligation certificate (ROC) per MWh of electricity produced to 1.5 ROCs/MWh.

Energy: Peat Bogs

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the value of peat bogs and moors in conserving carbon and fixing carbon from the atmosphere; and what policies they are implementing to maximise their potential benefits.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Defra recognises that peat bogs are essential stores of carbon. Defra's long term policy is to promote management of peat bogs which minimises further losses of carbon and allows peat bogs to act as a carbon sink.
	A multi-agency project called the Partnership Project on Peat has been developed to protect our peat soils. It involves developing the current evidence base and determining future policy options. The project also provides a means for integrating activity to ensure that all policies protecting peat habitats deliver multiple benefits. As part of the partnership project, Defra will review progress to meet the 2010 target that 90 per cent of the market of growing medium is peat free (in 2007, 54 per cent of the market was peat free). Growing medium is any material used in a container to grow plants eg bark, compost, coconut fibre dust and grit.

Energy: Wind Turbines

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the cost in terms of carbon emissions of manufacturing, installing and connecting to the national grid wind turbines of (a) 1 kilowatt, (b) 5 kilowatts, (c) 25 kilowatts, (d) 50 kilowatts and (e) 75 kilowatts, rated output; and how long it will take each of those turbines to recoup that carbon expenditure at an average electricity generation rate of 60 per cent.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: This department does not have the specific information requested on the cost in carbon emissions for the manufacture, installation and grid connection of small wind turbines.

Energy: Wind Turbines

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the limits to the number of connections and total input to the national grid that can be accepted from small wind turbines; and whether there is a geographical element to this acceptability.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: In theory, discounting spatial limitations, there is no technical limit to the number of wind turbines that can be connected to and input electricity onto the grid.
	However, this is subject to a generator being compliant with system codes and standards, the necessary physical connections, any associated reinforcements being made to increase the capacity of the network and the overriding constraint that generation must equal demand to maintain system stability.
	The operation of the GB transmission system is always subject to the overriding constraint that in order to ensure stability, generation must equal demand—generation from small wind turbines or any other generation cannot exceed this limitation.
	The levels of available connection capacity on the existing grid network vary geographically.

Environment

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consult all political parties represented in Parliament on environmental issues with the aim of reaching a consensus for 2020 and 2050.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Government engage with Members of Parliament and the various political parties represented in both Houses of Parliament through normal parliamentary procedures. In the case of statutory targets to reduce UK emissions of greenhouse gases by 2020 and 2050, these are set in law in the Climate Change Act, which completed its passage through Parliament and received Royal Assent in November 2008, with overwhelming support in both Houses. Any order amending these targets would be subject to affirmative resolution procedure.

Equality: Race

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what specific targets were set by the Government Equality Office for race equality outcomes in 2008—09; and what was achieved.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The Government Equalities Office (GEO) did not set specific targets for race equality outcomes in 2008-09. Government priorities, including those on race equality, are set out in the three-year cross-cutting public service agreement (PSA) announced In November 2007. PSA 15 (Equality) aims to address the disadvantage that individuals experience because of their race, disability, age, gender, sexual orientation and religion or belief and includes commitments to improve participation in public life, reduce workplace discrimination and tackle unfair treatment in the delivery of services for people from an ethnic minority.

House of Lords: Publications

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask the Chairman of Committees who sets the prices of House of Lords publications.

Lord Brabazon of Tara: The mechanism by which the cover price of House of Lords publications is determined is set out within the contract for printing and publishing between the House and The Stationery Office (TSO). Prices are determined by TSO in consultation with the House of Lords and in accordance with the terms of the contract. Some publications have a set price and some have a price that is calculated in relation to the number of pages produced. All House of Lords publications are also available on the internet, free of charge.

Northern Ireland Office: Staff

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Royall of Blaisdon on 5 February (WA 180—81) concerning the payment of London weighting, how many officials receive such allowances; who authorises them; and how much was paid in each of the past five years.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: London weighting is paid to Northern Ireland Office (NIO) Home Civil Servants who work in London or have a commitment to maintain a home in GB while working in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland Civil Servants working in the NIO who commenced work in London prior to 1 January 2008 and who have a commitment to maintain a home in Northern Ireland also receive the allowance.
	In 2004, London weighting was set at £3,875, £4,000 in 2005; £4,000 rising to £4,100 in 2006; £4,100 rising to £4,300 in 2007 and £4,300 rising to £4,400 in 2008. This is paid annually. One hundred and eighty staff were in receipt in 2004, 169 in 2005 and 2006, 163 in 2007 and 132 in 2008.

Northern Ireland: Equality

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the purpose of the report by Colm O'Cinneide entitled Equivalence in Promoting Equality, commissioned by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland and published in December 2005.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: As set out in Schedule 8 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998, although the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is responsible for making appointments to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, sponsorship of the commission is a matter for the devolved Administration.
	The noble Lord may wish to write directly to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland or to the relevant sponsor department, the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister.

Olympic Games 2012

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the papers by General Sir Richard Dannatt on moving the proposed Olympic shooting venue from Greenwich to the National Shooting Centre, Bisley, and the comments of the National Rifle Association on the suggestion.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: I have placed in the Library of the House a copy of the note on Bisley that General Sir Richard Dannatt passed to the previous Secretary of State for Defence in September 2008.
	We remain committed to working with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games to enable the shooting events at the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics to take place at the Royal Artillery Barracks, subject to there being minimal disruption to Army personnel, their families, and to the operations of the barracks.

Pensions

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the civil service superannuation scheme and other principal public sector pension schemes have the powers and computing facilities to adjust payment and other benefits to take account of deflation.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government in view of the current economic climate, what proposals they have to reconsider the provision of inflation-proof pensions for civil servants.

Lord Patel of Bradford: Current social security legislation provides for public service pensions to be adjusted by the same rate as the state second pension, and for such adjustments to take place only if there has been an increase in prices over a given period. Systems and processes are in place to reflect the requirements of this legislation.

Petitions

Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by the Lord President (Baroness Royall of Blaisdon) on 6 February (WA 156—57), which of their actions have been initiated or substantially modified consequent upon the receipt of an e-petition submitted to the No. 10 Downing Street website.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: E-petitions form one of a variety of ways in which the public can make known their views to the Government and which the Government would take into account in the overall development of policy.

Piracy

Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what legal basis Royal Navy vessels are operating against pirates in international waters.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: Royal Navy vessels are acting in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
	The legal mandate of the EU counter-piracy mission, Operation ATALANTA, in which the UK is heavily involved, is based on UN Security Council Resolutions 1814, 1816 and 1838.

Post-legislative Scrutiny

Lord Norton of Louth: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the publication of Post-Legislative Scrutiny—The Government's Approach (Cm 7320) in March 2008, which Acts of Parliament have been subject to post-legislative review and which Acts are presently being reviewed.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: Since March 2008, the Cabinet Office has produced detailed guidance for departments on post-legislative scrutiny, available on the Cabinet Office website at www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/secretariats/economic_ and_domestic/legislative_programme/guide_html/post-legislative_scrutiny.aspx.
	A system has also been put in place to ensure that all departments will produce Command Papers for Select Committees on the implementation of each Act passed in 2005, within three to five years of Royal Assent.
	One Command Paper was published in December 2008 on the Electoral Registration (Northern Ireland) Act 2005 (Cm 7504). We expect to publish some Command Papers later this year on Acts passed in 2005. Command Papers on all remaining Acts passed in 2005 will, where appropriate, be published by summer 2010 and, for subsequent Acts, within three to five years of Royal Assent.

Prisons: Extremism

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Bach on 12 February (WA 237), what percentage of (a) prison staff, and (b) prison officers have received training aimed at preventing violent extremism and radicalisation.

Lord Bach: As part of the National Offender Management Service's programme of work to address the risks associated with violent extremism and radicalisation. a series of briefings, written materials and events have been delivered to prison staff.
	Information to identify what percentage of (a) prison staff and (b) prison officers have benefited from this range of activity is not held centrally. It would require approaching numerous sources for this information.

Prisons: Muslim Chaplains

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Bach on 12 February (WA 238—40), of the 197 Muslim chaplains currently serving in prisons in England and Wales how many are employed (a) full-time, (b) part-time, and (c) on a sessional basis, broken down by the prisons they are serving in.

Lord Bach: Further to the Written Answer I gave on 12 February, the table below sets out the number of Muslim chaplains currently serving in prisons in England and Wales, on a full-time employed, part-time employed and on a sessional basis. These figures are not static and will reflect changes over time for a range of reasons. In a few cases, the same Muslim chaplain works at more than one prison. Some prisons will also have a sessional Muslim chaplain who does not attend regularly but who can be called on to provide cover when needed. The figures presented have been derived from manual records. This is liable to the normal inaccuracies associated with a reporting system of this type.
	
		
			 Prison Establishment Employed (full time) Employed (part time) Sessional 
			 Acklington   1 
			 Albany   1 
			 Altcourse  1  
			 Ashfield   1 
			 Ashwell   1 
			 Askham Grange   1 
			 Aylesbury   1 
			 Bedford  1 1 
			 Belmarsh 2  1 
			 Birmingham 1  2 
			 Blantyre House Vacancy   
			 Blundeston  1  
			 Brinsford  1 1 
			 Bristol   2 
			 Brixton 1  3 
			 Bronzefield  1  
			 Buckley Hall  1 1 
			 Bullingdon 1   
			 Bullwood Hall   1 
			 Camp Hill   1 
			 Canterbury   1 
			 Cardiff  1  
			 Castington   1 
			 Channings Wood   1 
			 Chelmsford 1  1 
			 Coldingley  1  
			 Cookham Wood   2 
			 Dartmoor   1 
			 Deerbolt  1  
			 Doncaster  1 1 
			 Dorchester   1 
			 Dovegate 1   
			 Dover 2   
			 Downview   1 
			 Drake Hall   2 
			 Durham 1  1 
			 East Sutton Park   1 
			 Eastwood Park   1 
			 Edmunds Hill  1  
			 Elmley  1  
			 Erlestoke   1 
			 Everthorpe 1   
			 Exeter Vacancy   
			 Featherstone 1   
			 Feltham 1  6 
			 Ford   1 
			 Forest Bank  1 1 
			 Foston Hall   1 
			 Frankland 1   
			 Full Sutton 1 1 1 
			 Garth   1 
			 Gartree  1  
			 Glen Parva 1   
			 Gloucester   1 
			 Grendon  1  
			 Guys Marsh   1 
			 Haslar   2 
			 Haverigg   1 
			 Hewell 1  4 
			 High Down 1   
			 Highpoint 1   
			 Hindley  1  
			 Hollesley Bay   1 
			 Holloway   1 
			 Holme House   1 
			 Hull   1 
			 Huntercombe  1 1 
			 Kennet  1  
			 Kingston Vacancy   
			 Kirkham  1 1 
			 Kirklevington Grange   2 
			 Lancaster Castle   1 
			 Lancaster Farms   1 
			 Latchmere House   1 
			 Leeds  1 2 
			 Leicester  1  
			 Lewes   2 
			 Leyhill   1 
			 Lincoln  1  
			 Lindholme  1 1 
			 Littlehey   1 
			 Liverpool 1   
			 Long Lartin 2  2 
			 Low Newton   1 
			 Lowdham Grange  1 1 
			 Maidstone   1 
			 Manchester 1  2 
			 Moorland Closed  1  
			 Moorland Open  1  
			 Morton Hall Vacancy   
			 New Hall   1 
			 North Sea Camp   1 
			 Northallerton   1 
			 Norwich  1  
			 Nottingham  1  
			 Onley 1  1 
			 Parc  1  
			 Parkhurst  1  
			 Pentonville 1  1 
			 Peterborough   1 
			 Portland 1   
			 Prescoed   1 
			 Preston   1 
			 Ranby 1   
			 Reading  1  
			 Risley 1  1 
			 Rochester 1   
			 Rye Hill  2  
			 Send   1 
			 Shepton Mallet   1 
			 Shrewsbury  1 1 
			 Springhill  1  
			 Stafford   1 
			 Stanford Hill  1  
			 Stocken  1  
			 Stoke Heath 1   
			 Styal   2 
			 Sudbury   1 
			 Swaleside 1  1 
			 Swansea   1 
			 Swinfen Hall 1   
			 The Mount 2   
			 The Verne  1  
			 Thorn Cross   1 
			 Usk   1 
			 Wakefield  1 1 
			 Wandsworth 1  3 
			 Warren Hill   1 
			 Wayland   1 
			 Wealstun  1  
			 Wellingborough  1  
			 Werrington   1 
			 Wetherby   1 
			 Whatton   1 
			 Whitemoor 1  1 
			 Winchester Vacancy   
			 Wolds   2 
			 Woodhill 1  2 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 1  3 
			 Wymott  1

Scotland Office: Staff Sickness

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Davidson of Glen Clova on 11 February (HL1065) concerning the Scotland Office and staff sickness, why the question was not answered when it was addressed to Her Majesty's Government as a whole.

Lord Davidson of Glen Clova: While the Scotland Office is part of the HMG, its staff are employees of the Ministry of Justice or the Scottish Executive, who are employed on a secondment type basis. It is only the staff who are employees of the Ministry of Justice that can be classified as belonging to HMG.
	In terms of data capture for Scotland Office staff seconded from the Ministry of Justice, staff sickness records are not separately identifiable within the recording mechanisms used by the Ministry of Justice, as they incorporate under the same business entity, staff who are seconded to the Office of the Advocate General for Scotland. However, the information relating to the specifics of the administrative section of the Scotland Office, which you enquired about in your original request, would not be published as the numbers are fewer than five and would make the identification of individuals possible.

UK Chemical Community

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will seek confirmation from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council that their funding for the United Kingdom chemical community will not be reduced.

Lord Drayson: The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has an annual budget of approximately £800 million for 2008-09 to fund research and training across engineering and physical sciences. EPSRC's primary criterion for investment is research quality as judged by independent peer review. Future funding levels for the chemistry community will therefore be dependent on the quality of proposals submitted.
	There are also significant opportunities for chemists to participate in EPSRC's thematic programmes, which currently include energy, towards next generation healthcare and nanoscience through engineering to application.